


skylark

by Copperfur, Pokeevee57



Series: Birds of a Feather [1]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Imai Chitose as Daisuke's father, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, alternate characterization, random character is your hero redux competition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-03-10 23:24:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13511934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copperfur/pseuds/Copperfur, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokeevee57/pseuds/Pokeevee57
Summary: Daisuke was a new trainer about to start on his journey. Taichi was an experienced trainer from Kanto, looking for a fresh start. But once they meet in Alola, a whole new adventure begins for the both of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, Aiko, for the series title.

It was a cool spring night in Fallarbor Town. In one particular house, a large event was taking place. In one of the rooms, an eleven-year-old brown-haired boy in his Charizard pajamas was packing away some of his belongings in a box right beside his bed. It was the last he needed to do for the night.

 

"There… that's done. At least that's been finalized. Now for the rest of this stuff." He stood up and stretched himself, while sighing in relief.

 

Once the young boy was done, he focused his attention on the Poké Ball sitting on his bedside table. It contained the very first Pokémon he'd captured: the Dragon type, Bagon. He had caught Bagon just short of three months ago and he was still warming up to the boy. The boy was moving to Alola with his father; his mother and sister were staying here. He wasn't sure why and it hadn't really been explained to him.

 

Before the boy could turn in for the night, he heard a ringing coming from his laptop, so he walked over to it. Reaching for the wireless mouse, he clicked on the video cam app. A window appeared to show Professor Kukui from the Alola region waiting for him. The young boy put up as best a smile as he could manage. "Hey, Professor."

 

The Professor waved cheerfully at him. “Hey there, Daisuke. How’s the packing going?”

 

Daisuke said sheepishly: “It’s going fine, Professor. I just finished.”

 

Professor Kukui grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “That’s great! Soon you’ll be all ready to get here! I can’t wait to see you here-” A dog-like Pokémon jumped onto the Professor’s shoulders and looked through the screen at Daisuke. “And the Pokémon can’t wait either!”

 

Daisuke’s smile became a little more genuine while looking at the grinning Pokémon. But just a little.

 

Daisuke nodded at the Professor. “I’m sure it’s a great region. Can you tell me more about it?”

 

Not minding the question at all, Kukui brought up another window to show a map of the Alola region. “Alola is a region full of islands. There’s no shortage of cool Pokémon out here, yeah!” The map of the region disappeared. A hand patted the puppy Pokémon. “This is Rockruff, woo!”

 

Daisuke chuckled. “It looks pretty tough,” he admitted, smiling once more.

 

Kukui liked his expression. “You can find them everywhere. In the grass, in the caves, in the sky and sea.” A second Pokémon came into view; it appeared to be a Flying type as far as Daisuke knew. “In Alola, we love our Pokémon and depend on them for lots of things, as well.” The Rockruff seemed to be affectionate towards the Professor. “If we call ourselves trainers, some of us battle with them!” He glanced at the puppy Pokémon. “Rockruff, go cool your jets, I’ll play with you later.”

 

Rockruff barked at him and wandered off. “I gotta ask you some questions about yourself so I can introduce you to everybody! Which photo should I use for your trainer passport?”

 

The Professor brought up a series of photos which were all of Daisuke, each one having a different pose. But Daisuke thought that something looked a little weird. “Professor... how did I get so many different hair colours?”

 

Indeed, each picture had Daisuke have a different hair colour, being blonde, brown and black. The Professor chuckled. “Oops, that was a photoshop experiment I was doing earlier. Here’s the actual photos.”

 

Daisuke sweat-dropped, wondering why he was the test subject, before he decided to ignore it and focus on his task of choosing a photo. There were four photos. He ended up choosing the third one, where his head was tilted up and away a little from the camera, something akin to a grin on his face.

 

“You okay with the one you chose?” Kukui asked.

 

Daisuke nodded at the question, looking at it once more. “Yeah, I’m fine with it.”

 

“Alright then, I’ll let you spell your name for me.”

 

This part would be even easier. “My first name is Daisuke. D-A-I-S-U-K-E. Last name is Motomiya. M-O-T-O-M-I-Y-A.”

 

Kukui wrote out the name and smiled brightly at it as a picture of Daisuke appeared in the bottom right-hand corner of his laptop screen. “Right on, my man! I’ll let everyone know you’re on your way!” Crossing his arms, he seemed confident. “Woo! Can’t wait to see you in person then, cousin!” He waved goodbye and turned off the video camera app.

 

As soon as he was sure the screen was off, Daisuke sighed in relief, glad that the conversation was finally over. He leaned back in the chair that was left in the room, wanting to relax a little bit. To be honest, he wasn’t all that thrilled about leaving Fallarbor, no, Hoenn itself.

 

Soon, his father called him. “Daisuke! Come here for a moment, I need some help finishing over here!” He sighed again as he reluctantly got out of his chair to see what his father needed.

* * *

Two sets of hurried footsteps could be heard in a high-tech facility. One set was running away while the other was chasing the first. A young girl with a Poké Ball duffel bag slung over her shoulder made it to a lift and hastily pushed a button. Guardrails rose up and the lift took her to the next level. As she reached the next floor, she started running again and wondered where to escape.

 

She saw a free hallway and started running again. Behind her ran two people wearing white uniforms, looking frustrated. As she saw an open space in front of her, she thought that it would finally be her chance to escape. However, two other people suddenly blocked the way. They wore strange uniforms, different from the ones behind her.

 

So this was it. She was surrounded. She looked down at the bag she was carrying, tube-like in shape, knowing what Pokémon she was helping to escape. It shook slightly and she gave it a worried glance. The uniformed people walked closer, convinced that she would not be able to get away. Then suddenly, a bright light started to shine from her bag and everyone covered their eyes. When it finally died down, the girl was gone, nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Taichi Yagami, an experienced trainer hailing from Kanto, had arrived in the Alola region a week ago on the back of his Charizard. He’d been advised by Kukui to book a hotel room in Hau’oli City, which he had done.

 

Now, Taichi was just taking his time to familiarize himself with the first island. _It’s different to what I’m used to_ , he admitted. _Even the majority of_ _ _Pokémon here are different to the wide variety of Pokémon at home__. He was still struggling to master the Alolan greeting, but the locals didn’t mind. They all happily tried to help him.

 

Professor Kukui had even accompanied him to Iki Town so he could check out the Alolan starters and play with them. Playing with the starters was a mandatory thing, apparently, so that the first bond a trainer had with one of the creatures was strengthened from the outset.

 

Naturally, he had chosen Litten. When Litten returned the gesture and licked his face, he couldn’t help but laugh as he held up his new partner. Not that he would forget his original starter, either. Charizard had won him a great many battles back when he’d travelled Kanto and Sinnoh.


	2. Chapter 2

With the sun shining on the Alola region, it was the start of a bright morning. At least, that’s what Chitose thought. He was well aware his son hadn’t been keen on leaving the region of his birth, but there’d been no other option. His relationship with Sakura had deteriorated.

 

But if the sizzling of sausages cooking was anything to go by, Chitose was happy that he had moved here. Even if his son, Daisuke, wasn’t… Speaking of Daisuke, the man glanced at his watch. His son should be up by now. “Please wake Daisuke for me.” He instructed Bagon.

 

Bagon scampered up the stairs to Daisuke’s room and saw that his trainer’s door was open. He cautiously entered, glancing around. He saw the boy standing over his study desk, appearing to be packing his backpack for his journey.

 

The mischievous Dragon type made his way quietly over to the boy, standing a little away from his legs. With a small cry, which caused Daisuke to start, Bagon headbutted his trainer’s legs. Daisuke fell in a heap and groaned in annoyance when he saw his Pokémon standing there, smirk plastered on his face.

 

He sighed. “Bagon… Dad told you to do that, didn’t he?” When Bagon refused to answer, Daisuke face-palmed. “Of course. Man… I was coming. Why can’t he wait just a little longer?” Bagon chortled, prompting the boy to swipe him in amusement. “You can stop now.” Daisuke ended up laughing himself.

 

“I was worried you were still asleep. It was past the time you normally get up,” came his father’s voice from the doorway. Daisuke got to his feet instantly. Chitose shook his head. “No need to panic. I just came to check up on how Bagon was doing. Breakfast is ready for when you come down.”

 

“Thanks, Dad.” Daisuke smiled as his father went down the hallway and down the stairs once more. He turned back to his backpack and zipped it up, before putting his arms through the straps and onto his back.

 

Daisuke looked down at his starter. “I need to recall you, you little troublemaker.” He smirked afterwards as the beam from the ball recalled the Dragon, remembering how he found Bagon back then.

 

 _Jun had taken him deep into Meteor Falls, where the Bagon prefer to live. She’d had one of her weaker partners weaken the Dragon type, before Daisuke caught it_.

 

Daisuke then headed downstairs and saw his breakfast waiting on the kitchen bench. “Sorry for taking so long to come down, Dad.” The boy apologized as he grabbed a knife and fork from the cutlery drawer. While they had chairs to sit on for meals, Daisuke personally preferred to stand, especially for breakfast.

 

“It’s fine, Daisuke.” The man patted his son on the back, reassuring him. He glanced over at his own Pokémon, Togedemaru, which was more of a house pet. “See, Togedemaru? Everything’s alright.”

 

The Electric dual type sleepily opened an eye, chittering once, before returning to its rest.

 

The two both smiled at the cute Pokemon. Chitose turned to his son. “The weather feels so nice. I don’t think we ever have to be cold again,” he said in a joking tone.

 

Daisuke smiled at it. Chitose wanted him to be as comfortable as he could here. Even if he wasn’t used to it yet…

 

“Daisuke, I hope you have lots of fun exploring the place. There are so many new people and Pokémon too. Hey, why don’t you take Bagon with you and head to Iki Town? I’m sure you’ll definitely find something new and exciting on the way.”

 

His son’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, that’s a great idea, Dad. I’ll go right now!” He started running out of the house, impatient. A new place was a new place, after all, and human curiosity was endless.

 

“Wait, Daisuke! Hang on a sec!”

 

Daisuke stopped and turned around, even as he was already halfway through the front door. “Yeah?”

 

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

 

He thought for a moment. “No, I don’t think so… Oh, that’s right!” He ran to his room, grabbing the goggles still hanging on a coat rack. He put them on his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Perfect.” He once again ran for the front door. “Okay Dad, see ya later!”

 

Chitose waved as his son left the house and entered into a new world. He sighed, taking another bite out of his breakfast. His eyes wondered around the large room, his eyes catching the new refrigerator, the bowl of fresh berries on the table, the Poké Ball left on the counter…

 

Oh. The Poké Ball left on the counter. Oh. Hopefully, Daisuke would be fine. It’s not like there was a lot of tall grass in the area anyway. He was a good kid, he could take care of himself...

 

On second thought, he was more likely to run blindly into the grass, too busy exploring to notice where he was going.

 

It was probably a good idea he went after Daisuke and gave him his Poké Ball. Chitose sighed; he’d be coming back anyway to finish his breakfast. He swallowed and got up, heading off. With the Poké Ball containing Bagon in hand, Chitose exited the house and followed in his son’s wake. He met up with Professor Kukui just past their house and stopped to wave to him.

 

“Daisuke just left a few minutes ago,” Chitose explained to Kukui, who wondered where the boy was. “He was heading to Iki Town, but forgot to take Bagon with him.” He showed the ball in his explanation.

 

Kukui nodded. “He’ll run into the other recruit for the Trials then, woo!”

 

“Other recruit?” Chitose looked surprised. This was the first he’d heard of this. Had he heard Kukui talk of this other boy before? He wasn’t sure he could remember anything…

 

“Yeah, he chose Litten a week ago.” The Professor answered, clarifying the older boy was an experienced trainer from Kanto.

 

 _Kanto, eh?_ Chitose thought, figuring the boy must be crazy strong, so why would he need to challenge another region? He realized some trainers liked doing that as it kept improving their strength. “Does he have access to Mega Evolution?”

 

“That’s classified, cousin.” Kukui was unapologetic at Chitose’s crestfallen expression.

 

Chitose straightened up, regaining his composure. “That’s fine, I understand.” He was still a little disappointed, but he was fine. He could wait until it was time for the secret to be revealed.

 

“Should we head up there to meet them?” Kukui asked, grateful Chitose had dropped the sensitive subject.

 

“Sure,” Chitose answered. A couple of steps behind the Professor, the blonde followed Kukui up the path to Iki Town. He smiled in amusement as the researcher stopped to play with a couple of Rockruff before the actual entrance to the town.

 

Both men glanced around, looking for the boys.

 

Kukui called to one of the town’s younger children. “Hey there, cousin!”

 

The child came over to the Professor and jumped up and down excitedly. “Professor Kukui, please teach me about Pokémon battling!”

 

The Professor chuckled good-naturedly. “You’re still a little young, woo! I will when you’re older.” The child mocked a pout, but perked up when Kukui continued. “We’re looking for a couple of brunette boys. Have you seen them around?”

 

“Sure have, Professor. They went that way, with Lillie!” The child pointed in the direction of the bridge.

 

“Oh no...” Chitose trailed off.

 

Kukui smiled. “Don’t sweat it.”

 

Chitose shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. Daisuke is no good with heights anymore.” He wasn’t sure what escapades the older boy had gotten his son into, but he hoped he knew what he was doing.

 

“Ah...” Kukui realized the potential danger Daisuke was in now. “Come on, we’ll follow.”

 

Thanking the child, Kukui and Chitose hurried after Daisuke and the older boy. They got to the bridge to stand behind Lillie, watching as Tapu Koko rescued Daisuke from almost certain death. The Legendary placed him back on the ground, observing him for a moment before flying off.

 

Knowing most phobias when he saw one, the older boy went over to Daisuke’s side as the younger curled into a ball. “It’s going to be okay, Daisuke. I’m here.” He hugged Daisuke in a firm, comforting grip. The elder continued murmuring words of reassurance to Daisuke, while Chitose looked on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for Chitose's cheekiness, as well as the ramifications of Daisuke's near death fall. If panic attacks make you trigger, please be wary.

Daisuke’s breathing was ragged, his breath rapid like he was hyperventilating. Sweat was pouring off of him and he felt cold and clammy. He was dimly aware of the older boy, who’d introduced himself as Taichi earlier, gripping him in a hug to try and reassure him.

 

Slowly, he felt the world realign itself as his breathing slowed back to its normal rate. Eventually, he looked up and straightened from the fetal position he’d been in after Tapu Koko placed him on the ground. Daisuke swallowed, still pale from his brush with death. He didn’t quite trust himself to speak just yet, so he would nod or shake his head to get his point across. His eyes found the two adults, widening. He tore over to his father and gave him a big hug.

 

Chitose realized his son didn’t consciously recognize him, but felt Daisuke sag against him. He was his son’s safe place and Daisuke knew that, even though he couldn’t visually recognize him right now. He placed a hand on Daisuke’s head and rubbed it tenderly. He knew his son had a pathological fear of heights and that his phobia stemmed from it, so he wondered why Daisuke would risk himself like that to save a Pokémon.

 

“I’ll always support you, Daisuke.” Taichi’s voice was soft, ensuring not to spook him after that. He figured it would take a bit for Daisuke to hear him, but he was fine with waiting.

 

Daisuke's fingers remained tight on his father's jacket.

 

“It’s okay, Daisuke. Everything is going to be alright now.” Chitose hugged his son back, while staring at the older boy. He wasn’t sure if Taichi had encouraged Daisuke to save Lillie’s Pokémon, or whether his son had done it on his own. “Did you do this?” He asked quietly.

 

Taichi shook his head. “I didn’t, sir. I would never do that to anyone.”

 

The older boy stared evenly back at the man’s eyes and Chitose could see the honesty in them. The father nodded, accepting the answer. “Very well, thank you for being truthful with me.” That decided it then; Chitose shook his head in amusement. Daisuke went into danger’s way to rescue a Pokémon; that was so like him.

 

Eventually, it seemed Daisuke had calmed down enough to step away from his father. “I-I’m okay now.” He managed to get out. Both Chitose and Kukui smiled at this.

 

Lillie had a wide smile on her face, overjoyed that Daisuke was alright. She put down her bag and gave her hero a quick hug herself. Daisuke smiled faintly, still pale-looking, but patted her back with one hand. They had only met moments before the bridge incident, but he found himself liking her as a friend.

 

He wanted to keep travelling with her and get to know her better. She didn’t seem like a trainer, as “Nebby” wasn’t in a ball, so he was curious about that. But he wouldn’t ask until she felt ready to tell him. That was one way to gain trust, right?

 

“Woo! Thank goodness you’re alright, cousin!” Kukui cheered, still smiling. Most of the time, he was always smiling. He never not smiled, except for really personal situations where he or his family were threatened. Or when he had to be serious as the Masked Royal, he adopted a ‘no nonsense’ expression.

 

Daisuke glanced over to him, nodding, still feeling shaky.

 

Chitose, however, wanted to make absolutely sure his son was recovering. “Did you still want to travel, Daisuke?” The words: _after what happened_ remained unspoken, but Daisuke knew what his father really meant.

 

“Yeah, I’ll still travel Alola.” He confirmed, not wanting to give up this soon in his journey. _Thank you, Tapu Koko_. He sent the Legendary his gratitude, remembering after that what Bagon’s dream was. Daisuke had been so shaken by the fall, he had wiped it from his mind. But the Pokémon’s desire had returned, sitting on the edge of his awareness. _Hmm…_ The young trainer mulled over the problem it would cause further down the track.

 

“Everything alright, Daisuke?” Taichi asked, confused by the contemplative expression that had crossed the other’s face.

 

Daisuke turned to his mentor. “Just thinking.”

 

Taichi left it at that, figuring that Daisuke would reach a conclusion on his own. He turned to Lillie, grinning at her. “We’re gonna be heading off. Will you be coming with us?” The Yagami boy liked the younger girl as well; she was more of an acquaintance to him, though, having not warmed up to him yet.

 

Lillie nodded. “I will be, if you don’t mind.” She picked up her bag again and put it back over her shoulder. After what had happened at the bridge, she didn’t want to let Nebby out of her sight at all now.

 

“Wait, where’s Hau?” Daisuke suddenly asked, not seeing his rival, Kahuna Hala’s grandson, around. Normally, the impatient, but eager boy, was running through the town having fun.

 

Kukui looked away briefly, before returning his gaze to Daisuke’s. “He left this morning before you got up, after choosing his starter, Rowlet.”

 

 _Oh man_ , Daisuke thought, swallowing at the realization. He was now behind Hau. That was not good. He would have to catch up as soon as he could. No better time than the present, right? Daisuke turned to Taichi and Lillie, but Taichi picked up on his restlessness first.

 

“Alright, we’re gonna head off. I think Daisuke’s eager to catch up to Hau and have a battle with him.” The Yagami boy smirked at his protege.

 

Grinning, Daisuke nodded. Before the trio could leave, Chitose walked forward. “Here.” He placed the ball firmly in his son’s hands. “Don’t forget him.” He smiled gently at his son, thinking of all the good times they’d had. Chitose only wanted the best for Daisuke. If this journey somehow helped him get somewhat better with his fear, then he was fine with that.

 

“I’ll be watching to make sure you protect Daisuke.” Chitose glanced lazily at Taichi’s Pokédex, prompting the boy to fumble and study his device, looking for any signs of forced tampering.

 

Seeing none, Taichi exclaimed: “You didn’t do anything!”

 

Chitose merely laughed. “The meaning still applies.” He smiled. Messing with the Yagami kid was too good. He should do this again.

 

Kukui smirked as well. Chitose was a real character. Still… “Ease up, cousin. Don’t want to scare the children too much.”

 

Chitose acknowledged the comment and settled down. He glanced at his watch and sighed. It was time. “You three should head off; you don’t want Hau to beat you.”

 

“Sure thing.” Daisuke answered, steeling himself and removing the last traces of shakiness from his composure. He was going to enjoy his adventure. He had Taichi as his mentor and Lillie as their travelling companion.

 

Everything would go perfectly, right? That’s what he hoped, anyway.

 

The trio left Iki Town.

* * *

 

It was eventually decided that they’d sleep on the route for the night and keep going to Hau’oli in the morning. Lillie wasn’t keen on that, Daisuke noted, but that was fine. He’d packed three sleeping bags in his backpack that were miniaturized courtesy of the Devon Corporation back home.

 

He gave one to the blonde girl and she reluctantly put her bag down, telling Nebby to stay in there. She rolled it out and managed to climb in. He and Taichi did the same with their bags, settling down for the night. They didn’t go to sleep yet, however.

 

“How do you think our journey will go?” Lillie asked the boys, wanting to know what their goals were and what Pokémon they hoped to catch.

 

Taichi chuckled and grinned, despite his companions not being able to see it. “My dream team includes Incineroar, Luxray, Lapras, Oranguru, Aegislash and Goodra.”


	4. Chapter 4

It was just past eight when they found an area to set up for camp for the night, despite how nervous she felt being out in the open. After what happened today, she didn’t think it was a good idea to camp in the middle of a forested area where they could be attacked by a number of Pokemon or members of Team Rocket or Team Skull. She slightly shuddered as another thought slowly emerged in her mind. What if _they_ find her and attempt to take Nebby from her? She wasn’t sure if Nebby could handle being mistreated and abused by Lusamine all over again. And quite frankly neither could she.

 

Despite what Taichi claimed as he talked about his travels from two other regions, she did not feel safe. Not for a minute. Taichi and Daisuke didn’t seem that worried though. That baffled her. Were they not worried about being attacked while they slept? Taichi had not mentioned anything about one of them staying awake, looking out for danger of any kind.

 

Then again they weren’t that far from the route and they had their Pokemon if something was to occur. And she was sure they were close to the next town.

 

Taichi had been pretty relaxed when he announced they were setting up camp for the night. The sky was über clear, not a cloud was in the sky. If there were any Pokemon travelling in the night, they were nowhere to be seen. It was just them, the trees that provided them some sort of shelter, their Pokemon and the stars in the sky.

 

Daisuke was right, though. The sky was a pretty shade of blues and blacks, but the stars that twinkled in the sky were truly something breathtaking to see. There was always the simplicity of stargazing that was always new and exciting. No two stars were the same and one didn’t always see the same constellation.

 

Lillie loved stargazing. She had done it a lot when she was younger. Not anymore. That had stopped after the attack. Lillie frowned. Before the attack, she would always sneak out of the house with her brother to visit this beautiful secret hidden meadow within the forest behind her home. The Legendary Pokemon tended to visit that meadow from time to time to play and relax with some of the local Pokemon. Lillie had always found immense joy playing with Pokemon and it was a treat to watch the Legendary Pokemon show off to them.

 

The attack had changed everything. She hated it. She loved Pokemon, but she couldn’t hold them like she used to without freezing or passing out or freaking out. She was able to hold Nebby fine, though. Lillie pondered that for a moment, but she really didn’t dwell on it for too long. She was special, Lillie knew that much at least. But what exactly? Sometimes it felt like Nebby could read her perfectly and just knew how to keep her fears at bay. But that was ludicrous now that she thought about it.

 

There was something special about Nebby, but she couldn’t figure what. Maybe they were meant to meet, Lillie thought. Maybe her rescuing the little Cosmog was fate. Maybe Nebby was the first step to ultimately freeing her from the fear that entrapped her.

 

But that was just wishful thinking, she realized as she gazed at the stars. _Maybe I should have listened to mother._ Lusamine was not the best mother. She had a habit of putting her work over her own family. It was always the fountain or the Legendary Pokemon. Lusamine had always told them that the world was a dangerous place. Pokemon were wild and dangerous as well as the people that used them for evil.

 

She had not believed her until after the attack. Now she believed everything her mother said. She had listened to her… until now. She closed her eyes for a moment, realizing that she was outside, in the dark, in the middle of the forest with Nebby, Taichi and Daisuke by her side. Nothing was happening, which was going against everything her mother warned. _It’s peaceful_ , she thought. And it was. It was late enough that the majority of the Pokemon were sleeping. And if there were Pokemon out and about during the night, they didn’t come near them. Green eyes gazed at the stars once again as Taichi recounted one of his gym battles.

 

It was very peaceful. It was just them, their Pokemon and the stars. It was like nothing could disturb this moment. She wanted it to stay like this forever.

 

She smiled as she felt Nebby snuggled against her side.

 

“Taichi?” She had interrupted Taichi’s story.

 

“Yeah, Lillie?”

 

“How do you think our journey will go?” Lillie had shifted her eyes to gaze at the boy as he spoke. She blinked once. Twice. Three times before her brows furrowed a bit. Her lips twitched slightly, but not enough to form a frown.

 

“Incineroar?” Lillie shifted in her sleeping bag slightly as she felt Nebby climbing to rest on her chest. Her body stiffened a bit, but not by much. “I heard that’s a very violent Pokemon. How do you plan on catching it, let alone train it?”

 

Taichi shifted his gaze to Lillie, smiling confidently. “Incineroar will be a challenge, I will admit, but I like a good challenge.” Taichi’s smile was contagious as he gazed at the two of them. “What about you?”

 

“I’m hoping to get a Salamence, Scolipede, Alolan Raichu, Scizor, Whimsicott and a Vaporeon. Oh, and hopefully a female Pyroar,” Daisuke answered excitedly as he smiled.

 

Lillie and Taichi chuckled at his enthusiasm, but then the two boys gazed at her. Lillie’s laughter halted for a moment as she thought. Lillie didn’t like battling and didn’t plan on being that type of trainer anyway. She preferred interacting with Pokemon from a safe distance.

 

“I don’t know,” she finally answered. “I’m not much of a battler.” Taichi and Daisuke gazed at each other for a moment.

 

“Do you have any favourite Pokemon then? Other then Nebby, of course,” Daisuke asked, wanting to get to know her better.

 

Lillie smiled. She did actually. She enjoyed Ice, Poison and Fairy Pokemon the best. She had also used to fantasize about catching and befriending several Pokemon, just like Taichi and Daisuke, when she was younger. She still had that fantasy actually, but she knew she would never be able to hold them and play with them and bond with them like a normal trainer would.

 

“Glaceon,” Lillie said, feeling very sad that her fears were keeping her from befriending Pokemon she had always dream of catching as a child. “I had always liked Glaceon.”

 

“Any others?” Taichi said, now resting on his stomach with his head resting on his folded arms.

 

“Sylveon.” She didn’t hesitate this time. “And Carbink, Comfey, Mimukyu…. and a Vulpix. Not a normal one, though; an Alolan Vulpix.”

 

“My best friend has a Vulpix. He doesn’t like the fact of Pokemon fighting each other, but he loves caring for them,” Daisuke said cheerfully.

 

“Isn’t he that Breeder you were talking about earlier?” Taichi asked, questioningly. “The one whose brother died trying to protect a group of Pokemon from Team Rocket when they attacked your hometown?”

 

Lillie’s heart tightened a bit and only got worse when Daisuke had that sad, vulnerable tone in his voice. “Yeah, Ken never really got over it, especially since the bad guys never got caught.” Daisuke gazed at the stars, but he wasn’t really staring at them anymore. “There was a time in where he wanted nothing to do with Pokemon. He was afraid.“

 

Lillie turned her gaze to Daisuke. “What did he do?” Ken was just like her, Lillie realized. What did he do to get over his fears?

 

“Ken’s family moved to Kanto a week after the funeral,” he said. “His father is a Gym Leader and hated how afraid and alone Ken was. So one day, his father came home with a Vulpix egg, hoping it would help him heal.”

 

“Did it?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, they’re best friends.” Daisuke smiled, happy for his friend. “Now he helps raise a bunch of Pokemon now.”

 

“That’s great,” Taichi said, causing Daisuke to smile sheepishly.

 

“Yeah it is,” he said. “Anyway, I was talking to him the other day. He was telling me about the Alolan Vulpix being snow white. Is that true?”

 

“Yeah. Vulpix’s fur is snow white due to it living in Mount Lanakila.”

 

“That’s interesting,” said Daisuke. “Ken’s Vulpix has red-brown fur. Do you know if there is any difference between the two?”

 

Lillie pondered that question for a moment. “Well, appearance-wise, it has pale blue paws, blue eyes and dark blue inside its ears. Its snout is more pronounced and pointed… and the locks of hair on its head and its six tails are curlier, I believe, and have a wispy appearance. And… Oh! Vulpix’s breath can reach a temperature of sixty degrees below zero.”

 

“That is so cool,” Daisuke said with a smile. “I hope we run into one.”


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning when the children woke up, they bathed individually in the stream and got ready for the day. After they’d had breakfast, Taichi led Daisuke and Lillie to their next destination: Hau’oli City. It was, after all, where he had first arrived with Charizard when he moved here.

 

Entering the city, Daisuke took in the sights and Lillie, too, was amazed by how big it was. The city blended well with nature, residential merging with trees and bushes and other plant and wildlife. _There’s nothing like this in Hoenn_ , Daisuke thought, still studying every aspect of the city.

 

Some random Alolan child ran up to them and wanted to take them to the shops, but Taichi politely declined. He explained the trio could get there themselves and encouraged the kid to go back to his mother, who was watching from down the road.

 

“Sorry about that, ma’am!” As usual, Taichi. Always unpredictable.

 

Laughter. Daisuke couldn’t help but laugh. His mentor was a crack-up. Taking a breath to calm himself, he could see the woman looking a bit confused. If he’d been on the outside, too, he would be perplexed as well. “Don’t worry, ma’am.” Daisuke reassured her. “It’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s just how my friend is.” But to be honest, he was still getting used to Taichi, so how was he to know his mannerisms?

 

“If… you say so.” The woman replied, not entirely convinced it seemed.

 

Oh well, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t their concern. Daisuke turned to his travelling companions and they spoke softly between each other on where they wanted to go next.

 

“I’d like to just stay here for a while.” Lillie answered, motioning to the edge of the road that overlooked the beach but was protected by a guard rail. “What did you want to do, Daisuke?” The blonde girl asked her unofficial caretaker, glancing beside her at the boy.

 

Daisuke admired the beach for a moment, before turning to answer Lillie’s question. “I’ll stay here with you. We can always check out the shops later.”

 

Taichi nodded. “I’m cool.”

 

This statement caught Daisuke off guard. “Are you sure, senpai? I kind of figured you’d wanna hang out on the beach.”

 

Taichi gave a wide grin. “That’s exactly where I’m going. Just wanted to reassure you both I was fine with checking out the shops later.” He took off quickly.

 

Daisuke chuckled again, watching his mentor run down to the beach like there was a ghost on his tail. He shook his head, never ceasing to be amazed by the older boy. Getting distracted for a moment, he wondered if Taichi had a sister and what his family was like.

 

His own sister annoyed the hell out of him and that had been before she was crowned the Champion of his homeland, the Hoenn region. She would never reveal her winning team to him, always getting the media to fabricate which Pokémon she actually had. _Why would she do that?_

 

Speaking of siblings… “Lillie, do you have a sibling?” Daisuke quietly asked his female travelling companion as they stood together on the lookout, watching the people play on the beach below.

 

“I do.” Her answer was whisper soft that he almost missed it. “A brother. We’re twins. His name’s Gladion.”

 

Daisuke put together his thoughts. “Is he... nice?” He wasn’t sure how Lillie would answer his inquiry, so he made the question as non-harmful as he could. Daisuke didn’t know Gladion personally, so this was his chance to know a little something about him.

 

Lillie sighed. “Defiant and very protective.”

 

“D-Defiant?” Daisuke stammered out. From first impressions based on words, he didn’t know if he would like Gladion when he met him.

 

Lillie nodded, turning to face him. “To our mother. He wanted so badly to be his own person, he left first to make his way as a trainer.”

 

 _Ah okay..._ Daisuke thought, changing his opinion on Lillie’s brother. Maybe he wouldn’t be so bad, after all. He accepted that his thoughts on Gladion might yet change again once he actually saw him but, for now, he would be deemed ‘reasonable’. Daisuke continued watching the people on the beach.

 

The two gazed at the beach in silence. From the distance they saw Taichi strolling around the beach like a five-year-old kid. Taichi was at least fourteen, maybe fifteen. It was really funny to think about.

 

Just as the two shared a glance, snickering softly when said boy got hit in the head with a volleyball from some kids playing nearby, a familiar tone from his Xtransceiver began to play. Daisuke looked down, smiling slightly, upon seeing his best friend’s name on the screen. The Xtransceiver had been a going away/birthday gift. Daisuke had retrieved Ken’s gift the day before he left his hometown. He had called Ken on the phone to thank him when he and his father got to Alola, but had never really tested it out.

 

Daisuke felt a pang of sadness. It had been a long time since he seen his best friend. They had been inseparable when they were kids. Ken had always been there for him when his parents got into a pretty bad fight or when he and Jun got into a petty argument, which resulted in him stay the night at Ken’s house. Ken had always been a source of comfort for him. He always had that smile that brightened his sour mood. He was a wonderful listener and never made fun of him like the other kids at home tended to do.

 

Calling Ken on the phone and video chatting him wasn’t necessary the same. He missed hugging his best friend, hanging out with him, playing video games with him on those rainy nights, and having ice cream with him just because they could. His father had promised they could travel to Kanto to visit his best friend, but he had never mentioned when.

 

“…” Daisuke had pressed the answer button on his Xtransceiver, only for Ken’s Pokémon, Eevee, to appear on the screen. Unlike most Eevee, this one had a more reddish tone to her brown eyes. A pink ornate rose bow was tied on her right ear and a small rose necklace around her neck.

 

“Eevee! Eevee! Eev!” Eevee happily said as she jumped around on what looked like a table. From what Daisuke could tell, Eevee was in Ken’s bedroom, on top of his computer table. Ken must of had the video chat application running on his computer.

 

Daisuke smiled as Lillie hid a laugh with her hand. “Hey, Eeves,” he greeted the happy Pokémon. “What are you doing in Ken’s room? Is he around?”

 

Eevee nodded. And happily said: “Eevee!” The small Pokémon was pretty loud and most likely loud enough to get Ken’s attention.

 

“Eevee?” There was another sound that sounded far away at first, before becoming louder as the person got close to the room. “Eevee, where are you?”

 

“Eevee!” Eevee squealed as she jumped off the table and jumped into Ken’s arms when he entered the room. Ken stumbled a bit, holding a phone, a bowl of Pokémon food and his Pokémon in his arms.

 

“What are you doing in here, missy?” Ken asked his Pokémon in a slight scolding tone when he steadied himself. “I told you breakfast was almost ready. Aren’t you hungry?” As if to prove to her owner that she was hungry, Eevee reached over to the bowl of specially made Pokémon food, that Ken made himself, and grabbed one of the brown pellets. However, that only caused Ken to drop the phone.

 

“Eevee!” Ken’s voice still had that scolding tone, but there was a high level of fondness and love. Ken had improved a lot since that incident three years ago. “What am I going to do with you?”

 

“You could always put her down!” Daisuke replied, gaining the Pokémon breeder’s attention.

 

“Daisuke?” Ken had not expected to see him on the computer.

 

“Hey,” he said, smiling.

 

Ken gently placed Eevee and her food on the floor and picked up his phone. “I’ll call you back, Chitose.” Daisuke blinked. Why was Ken talking to his father? Oh, wait. He said he would call before he left. Oops.

 

“You forgot to call.” Ken glared at him with a frown.

 

“Sorry?”

 

“You’re lucky I sent some supplies for you to the closest Pokémon Centre instead to your house.” Ken said crossly as he sat down.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: There are a few things I want to make clear. I have already chosen what Pokémon Taichi and Daisuke will be getting for their teams. Daisuke is his canon Adventure 02 age, eleven; while Taichi is fourteen, as he has already travelled through Kanto and maybe one other region (I haven’t decided the second region yet). Which means Taichi will be acting as Daisuke’s mentor.
> 
> Also, this is an USUM adventure mixed with what I know from a certain youtube playthrough by NTom and Helldragon.


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